In recent years, we have already shared our assessment of E-Learning trends for the upcoming year with you. Of course, we want to maintain this tradition and present you with our top E-Learning methods and application cases for digital further education in 2023 this year.
We have mentioned several times in our blog that videos and blended learning have been the frontrunners in digital learning methods for years. The current trend study from the mmb Institute also shows that digital learning continues to gain relevance. The top learning formats have hardly changed compared to the previous year. Therefore, this year we want to place less focus on specific content methods. Instead, it should be about possibilities for how further education can be integrated into the work context and how you, as a further education manager, create the prerequisites for this.
E-Learning Methods for 2023: Which Trends Remain Relevant?
Keyword: Lifelong learning! Continuing education no longer means sitting in a conference room for a day and then going home without any learning effect. It is becoming a fixed part of daily work and is not just checked off after a single event. We want to continuously develop, which is why we need enough learning content that we can call up in the situation of need. Ideally, it should be digital and available permanently. Additionally, Corona has pushed us more or less into digital learning, making further education more digital and flexible. It is no wonder that more and more E-Learning methods have established themselves in recent years, aiming precisely at this aspect of flexibility.
Which E-Learning method suits you depends, of course, on your purpose—after all, E-Learning is not the same as E-Learning! Besides classics like blended learning, the following methods stand out for us:
1. Microlearning
With TikTok and the like, our attention spans are getting shorter. That's why microlearning has been one of the leading digital learning methods for years. The advantage? Short, self-contained learning units that are always and everywhere accessible! It doesn't matter whether the learning content is a short text, a video, or a quiz—it should be manageable in a maximum of 2 to 5 minutes.
Microlearning can also be combined with other trends and is suitable for almost any further education topic. We have summarized how you can implement your own microlearnings in the ultimate microlearning guide.
2. On-Demand Learning
Many employees often lack the time to concentrate on further education. Nevertheless, it is still common in many companies to rely on one-day seminars. As a suitable complement to microlearning (AND in the spirit of lifelong learning), it makes sense to learn "on the go"—whenever it fits into the schedule, regardless of which device is at hand.
The learning process takes place online on a corresponding learning platform. This way, as a further education manager, you can ensure that your learning content is consolidated and truly accessible anytime and anywhere.
Further education on all devices, easily with the blink.it learning platform!
3. Hybrid Learning
Since Corona, we have said goodbye to mass events in some areas. Large business trips for seminars or conferences are increasingly being eliminated. They don’t necessarily have to take place on-site—or at least not with the entire team. This not only saves travel time but also conserves resources. Hybrid models are becoming increasingly popular. It's no wonder that this trend is also reflected in further education.
In hybrid learning, course participants often split from the very beginning into in-person and online participants. Absent participants are simply digitally connected to the seminar room during live sessions. Both participant groups can also participate in asynchronous online content independently of each other.
Digital Learning in 2023: Create the Preconditions
The presented learning methods have a lot in common: they all target short, flexible learning units that do not bind learners to a fixed learning location. With the following measures, further education managers can support employees in the internal corporate learning process:
Learning Culture: Create the prerequisites for digital further education in the company so that learning becomes a central part of daily work. Become a role model yourself and make the learning culture visible.
Self-Determination: Say goodbye to predetermined, self-contained further education offers. Allow employees to determine their own learning times, learning locations, and learning content — in the spirit of self-organized learning.
Flexibility: Learning must occur in the right environment and at the right time—precisely when needed and when it fits into the schedule. Learning content that is accessible anytime and from all devices supports this.
Technical Preconditions: For employees to learn in the situation of need, technical hurdles must be overcome. After all, the focus is on the content. Questions like "What was my password again?" or "Do I need to download something for this?" should not even arise.
Suitable Learning Platform: To consolidate all learning materials in one place, a learning platform or LMS is very helpful. It should be easy to use — for both learners and you as the course leader. Only in this way can everyone focus on the actual learning content.
6 E-Learning Topics That Are Important for 2023
Finally, we would like to introduce you to six further education formats and content topics that could play a central role in the coming year.
Soft Skill Training: In the coming years, soft skills in problem-solving, self-management, collaboration with others, and technical competencies will become increasingly relevant. This is shown by a report from the World Economic Forum that looks at the changes in the demanded soft skills over the past five years.
User Generated Content: In daily work, there is often little time to deal extensively with the design of further education concepts. Therefore, it makes sense to leverage existing knowledge from the team and let employees create learning content themselves.
Social Learning: At its core, learning is always social. After all, it often involves exchanging ideas and learning from one another. This also works in the work context, for example, in small learning groups that meet regularly.
Personalized Learning Content: We learn best when learning content fits our tasks and requirements. Therefore, it is worthwhile for further education managers to take this extra step. This increases the success of learning!
Adaptive Learning: Here too, the principle of individual learning content applies. In contrast to personalized learning, you only provide a selection of learning content. Your learners build their own further education course, which suits their needs and questions.
Learning Journey: Learning paths help your learners achieve the set goals. It is important to focus on both learning phases and transfer phases — only then can optimal knowledge transfer happen in daily work.
You can see: This year, many E-Learning methods that we already know from previous years are emerging. An important change is the increased focus on individual learners. Pre-prepared, uniform courses are a thing of the past! In the future, learners will determine for themselves what and how they learn. Only then will further education fulfill its purpose.
What do you think? Which learning trends will be particularly successful this year? Which ones do you want to implement yourself? Feel free to share your thoughts with us. 😊
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